http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3587104

Puerto Rico considered security risk for U.S.

By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Puerto Rico, surrounded by water with nary a border fence, is not only a major entry point for illegal immigrants but is considered by many Border Patrol agents as one of the United States' worst security risks.

Thousands of illegal immigrants obtain false identification and use commercial airliners to enter the U.S. mainland unchecked through Puerto Rico, said agents working on the island.

"One of the Sept. 11 terrorists came through the Virgin Islands and took some flight classes at Isla Grande in San Juan, right here on the island," said Puerto Rico-based Agent Rodolfo Martinez Jr., vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2724.

"And if one of them was able to do that, how easy was it for anyone to enter the island, acquire a fake identification and board an unchecked domestic flight into the United States?"

Agents say that many hoping to find their way into the United States arrive in the commonwealth by so-called yolas, handmade wooden boats that resemble small World War II landing craft. Mona Island, about 47 miles west of Puerto Rico, is a common drop-off spot for illegal immigrants.

And the 23 Border Patrol agents who work security for all of Puerto Rico have their hands full trying to catch those arriving there.

"When we get a yola that lands with a 100 people, we're lucky if we get 10," Martinez said.

"It's not just Cubans or Dominicans like people think ... we get people from Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. Most illegal aliens know if they can get to Puerto Rico -- they are home free."

No passports or visas are necessary for U.S. citizens traveling between Puerto Rico and the mainland. Puerto Rican citizens can travel in and out of the island without going through customs or immigration.

"A Puerto Rican birth certificate or a driver's license is all you need," Martinez said. "You can get those like candy out of a candy jar on the island."

When people board most flights heading off the island, there is only one Border Patrol agent manning the boarding gate, Martinez said. Many times the agent must resort to profiling to catch those leaving with fraudulent identification, he said.

But at the Rafael Hernandez Airport, in Aguadilla, a 4 a.m. flight from Puerto Rico to the United States has no one monitoring for illegal immigrants, he said.

"That flight is always full," Martinez said. "The illegal aliens know the system."

Further complicating matters, the Department of Homeland Security in January turned over boats of the Border Patrol to the newly formed Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, whose main mission prior to becoming a part of Customs and Border Protection was narcotics.

This came after the Department of Homeland Security last year took away helicopters from the Border Patrol in Puerto Rico.

"We had a vessel called the Sea Ark that fit up to 60 people ... so we could do rescue and capture illegal aliens," Martinez said.

"Now it falls under CBP Marine, but they don't use it because their job is mainly drug interdiction. How about our mission keeping the illegal aliens and terrorists out?"

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union which represents more than 10,000 agents, called the lack of attention to Puerto Rico "astonishing."

"Very few Americans know what is happening with the island," he said. "Very few people understand what a serious national security risk it is."

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, however, that the island is protected by a combination of federal agencies.

"Puerto Rico is not forgotten. It has more than just a handful of agents," said spokesman Salvador Zamora.

"Primarily people who are interdicted (are captured) on the high seas by Coast Guard or CBP Air and Marines."

Zamora said the island's vulnerabilities don't compare to those of Arizona.

Border Patrol agents say there are more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operating in Puerto Rico than border agents, but arrests under the customs enforcement agency are few and many criminal aliens are never prosecuted.

Puerto Rico-based Immigration and Custom's Enforcement spokesman Ivan Ortiz disagreed.

Ortiz said he could not disclose how many of his agency's officers operate on the island for security purposes, but he said ICE regularly detains illegal immigrants on the island.

In 2005, ICE agents arrested 2,941 illegal immigrants within Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ortiz said, down from 3,527 in 2004.

People from the Dominican Republic make up the largest number of illegal immigrants apprehended in Puerto Rico, Ortiz added.

"Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not a larger threat to national security than say Florida," Ortiz said.

ICE's main targets on the island are money laundering, human smuggling and immigration.

There are two detention centers for holding illegal immigrants in Puerto Rico, and a majority of illegal immigrants are released after processing, Martinez said.

According to Border Patrol officials in Puerto Rico, nearly 80 percent of smugglers caught on the island are never prosecuted by ICE officials.

"Some of the illegal immigrants even tell us to hurry up and process them because they've already purchased plane tickets to the United States," Martinez said. "The smugglers, well, they just walk away."

Ortiz said there are detainees who require mandatory detention, but the majority captured in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands are held an average of two days before they are released with a notice to appear in court.

The problem is continuing to grow, Martinez said.

"They never make their court appearance," he said. "They just find a way to get off the island.

"This is the Department of Homeland Security's dirty little secret."

Sara A. Carter can be reached by e-mail at sara.carter@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-8552.